Carol Zoref

Set on a tiny (fictitious) island, Barren Shoal, near New York City, the story focuses around Marta Eisenstein's growing up time in the 20's and '30's. For decades the remains of dead animals (mostly horses) from the city have been sent to be stripped and rendered and burned here. The Eisensteins are one of a group of families living in 'company' houses. The men work at the plant and the women do everything else. Many never leave the island, most leave only rarely. While the island is fictional nothing else, including the presence of factories like this one, is. Zoref researched the period exhaustively enough to enter fully into the lives of her characters. This is a rare story, full of meticulous detail (from Greek cuisine to shoe-making) but combined with a large cast of characters, all distinct, all people to care about, all entirely believable. The book is told in the first person, which often grates me, but did not at all in this case. Marta narrates the story from the vantage point of old age, she's in her eighties, and that too, works brilliantly. Zoref fully deserves this year's AWP award for the novel. ****1/2… (altro)